Weblog DIY Life offers a simple but effective solution for changing a lightbulb if the bulb's been broken: use a potato. In short, you just cut a potato in half and stick the flat end of one of the halves into the socket and unscrew. It's quick, it's clever, and it's likely to save you from much more dangerous attempts you may have considered making had you not known about the potato trick. I've used this trick in the past and it works like a charm.